McKinsey Removes Partner From Research Leadership Role After Comments

McKinsey & Company removed Australian senior partner Chris Bradley from leadership roles at the McKinsey Global Institute after his LinkedIn comments questioned the workplace challenges faced by female executives and the glass cliff concept. The firm said the action followed an internal conduct review.

Bradley remains a senior partner at McKinsey after being removed from his leadership position at the research arm. According to McKinsey spokesperson Taylor Burns, the review found the comments did not meet the firm’s expected standards.

"Following our conduct review process, we have removed the partner from his leadership roles, including at the McKinsey Global Institute. His public comments fell well short of the standards we expect at our firm." said Taylor Burns, McKinsey spokesperson.

Bradley, who has worked at McKinsey for more than 27 years, made the remarks during a LinkedIn exchange with Julia Carreon, co-author of a book discussing the glass cliff phenomenon. His posts were later deleted.

"I am not going to start researching glass cliffs as I don’t think it ranks in the top 1,000 problems of the world." wrote Chris Bradley, McKinsey senior partner.

Bradley also challenged whether women promoted to top executive roles face unusually difficult circumstances. The glass cliff theory argues that women and underrepresented groups are more likely to receive leadership opportunities when organizations are already facing crises.

"We once had a problem of female advancement to CEO (chief executive officer), but now we have a new problem that the jobs they get are too hard? Is this actually a thing?" wrote Chris Bradley, McKinsey senior partner.

Carreon, a former Wall Street executive and co-author of Walking on Broken Glass: Navigating the Aftermath of the Glass Ceiling, responded to Bradley’s comments on LinkedIn.

"Aren’t people from McKinsey & Company supposed to know these things? I understand you ARE the establishment, but this is surprising." wrote Julia Carreon, author and former Wall Street executive.

Carreon later said the exchange reflected the issue explored in her book with Shannon Nutter, which focuses on women’s experiences with workplace barriers.

"This showcases exactly what Shannon Nutter and I hoped to expose in our new book Walking on Broken Glass: the absurd amount of energy women are forced to spend proving our own experiences are real." wrote Julia Carreon, author.

McKinsey has published its Women in the Workplace study with Lean In for more than a decade, examining the status of women in corporate America. The company also previously referenced the glass cliff concept in research about workplace challenges.